Defending Dignity Newsletter – 2016 Highlights

Dear Friend of NCOSE,

Do you long for a more innocent time—a time when sexually explicit imagery didn’t confront you at the grocery store, and when hardcore pornography wasn’t on offer at the hotel where you and your family go for vacation? Does your heart mourn for the children being exposed to unimaginably violent and degrading pornography on their smart phones and by their friends at school? Does your heart ache for the countless families that have been broken due to pornography addiction, and for the beautiful lives shattered in the production of it?

If so, we have a lot in common.

I join with you in longing for a society that seeks to protect the innocent, shield the vulnerable, preserve the sacred, and safeguard the dignity in us all.

Like you, I’m deeply saddened by all the pain and suffering caused by pornography and other forms of sexual exploitation like sexual assault, child sexual abuse, prostitution, and sex trafficking.

But I also hold fast to the belief that we can transform our culture!

It won’t be easy, but we can restore our homes, communities, and country, to a time of public decency, mutual respect, and regard for the safety and wellbeing of others.

That’s why I’m excited to share with you news of the many successes we at the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) are achieving in our efforts to turn the tide on sexual exploitation. In the pages that follow, you’ll see how from cleaning up grocery store checkout lanes and hotel on-demand movie offerings, to championing the national discourse on the public health harms of pornography, helping to achieve important victories in the American judicial system, and galvanizing the movement against sexual exploitation, NCOSE is proving that we can turn the tide.

Sexual toxicity, abuse, and exploitation become inevitable facts of life only when we give up. But, there’s too much that’s on the line, too much that’s beautiful and radiant in life, to ever give up the fight.

As president, Patrick Trueman spearheads efforts to change corporate policies that facilitate sexual exploitation through the Dirty Dozen List. This aggressive project, educates executives, galvanizes public attention, and spurs popular actions to defend human dignity. Under his leadership, NCOSE has produced policy improvements at a wide range of notable institutions, including Google, Wal-Mart, the Department of Justice, Verizon, the Federal Communications Commission, and more.

In 2015, Mr. Trueman established the NCOSE Law Center, which serves as a resource for legal efforts to combat illegal pornography, sexually oriented businesses, and to bring innovative lawsuits against public institutions facilitating sexual exploitation. In 2010, he founded PornHarmsResearch.com to provide peer-reviewed research and talking points on the harms of pornography.

On a global level, Mr. Trueman leads NCOSE’s Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation, an international coalition, which boasts nearly 300 organizations and academic experts who are committed to sharing strategies and resources for combating public & private harms caused by pornography.

Patrick Trueman is a former Chief of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Criminal Division at the U. S. Department of Justice from 1988 to 1993. While there, he supervised the prosecution of child sex crimes, child pornography, and obscenity. He managed an office of twenty of prosecutors and support staff, and worked with the nation’s ninety-three United States Attorneys to initiate and coordinate federal prosecutions.

During his 41 years as a lawyer, he litigated cases at all levels of the federal system, including in the United States Supreme Court. He has been an advisor to many municipalities on First Amendment law and has helped draft ordinances to end or curb the impact of sexually oriented businesses such as pornography shops, strip clubs, and related establishments. A recognized international expert, Mr. Trueman has traveled to Europe, South American, the Middle East, and other areas to speak about human trafficking or the effects of television sex and violence on the family.

Mr. Trueman served as chief of staff to a Member of the United States Congress. From 1976 to 1982, he was Executive Director and General Counsel to Americans United for Life, a national public interest law firm in Chicago. He lives just outside Washington, D.C., and is married to Laura Clay Trueman. Laura and Pat Trueman have three children, Patrick, Claire, and Elizabeth.